Safety steering attachment for automobiles.



Hp P. LAROUETTE. SAFETY STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

' APPLIOATIOI rlnnn JULY 3. 190a.

929,605. Patented July 27,1909.

W/TA/Efffi: l/v VENTUR -44? lye/wry l? Larou e lve UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

HENRY P. LAROUETTE, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-EIGHTH TOGEORGE L. BARKER, ONE-EIGHTH TO ARTHUR L. WOOD, AND ONE-EIGHTH'TO ALLENJ. MOAN,

ALL OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

SAFETY STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

it all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HENRY I. LAROUE'HE, citizen of the llnitcd States,residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety SteeringAttaclr:

ments for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a'sat'ety attachmeat for the steering umchanismof seli propelled vehicles.

Accidents more or less serious are of t 1'e quent occurrence by reasonof the steering gear of an auton'iobile breaking or going wrong, leavingthe driver of the machine helpless to guide the machine in its course.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap, practicalattachment, which can be applied to any autmuobile already in use. andwhich will act on the steering knuckles ot' the vehicle normally tomaintain the wheels in planes parallel with the longitudinal axis of themachine; so that in the event any part of the steering mechanism goeswrong, the wheels will. immediately ad just themselves so that thevehicle may travel in a straight line, and will not be upset by beingbrought to a sudden stop, as now frequently occurs, by the wheelsturning under the machine.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawing, in which l ignre l is a plan viewof the front axle of an automobile, shmving one mode of applying theinvention. Fig. 2 is a section on X---X, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlargeddetail of the spring regulating device.

A represents the axle of an automobile or other vehicle to which theinvention is applicable, and 2 the usual steering knucklespivoted to theaxle at 3 and having the steering arms 4 connected by a rod 5. Thesimultaneous steering action of the knuckles is ett'ected from thesteering wheel through the rod 5 and the usual steering gear, notnecessary here to be shown.

Secured to each knuckle 2 is a rigid arm 6, here shown as extendingforward of the axle, and these arms 6 are pivotally connected by a rod'7. This rod is surrounded by two coiled springs 8 having their innerSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 3, 1908.

Patented July 27,1909:

Serial No. 441,786.

ends contiguous to the middle of the rod 7 and abutting against a stopor bracket 9' which is elanned rigidly to the axleA. The end of theracket 9 is slotted, as shown in Fig. 2, to accommodate the rod 7 andallow for lengthwise play of the rod due to the steering operations.

The outer end of each spring 8 is preferably supported adjustably on therod 7 by means of adjusting clamps 10. These clamps 10 are preferablysplit lengthwise and clamped at'onnd the rod 7 by four bolts, as shownin Fig. 3. For about half the length of the clamp the same is threadedto receive the adjusting set nuts 11 by which the tension of each springis regulated, so that normally the springs will coact with the fixedstop member 9 to hold the spindles 0n the knuckles in alinement, andthereby maintain the course of the vehicle in a straight line parallelwith the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

It is manifest that the opposed tension springs 8 could be applieddirect to the rod 5, but the arrangement here shown is preferred,because if rod 5 or either of the steering levers 4 should break, or anyof the other rods, pins or bolts contracting the steering wheel and thesteering knuckles should become detached, the double op iosed springs Smounted on the separate rod 7 will automatically cause the front wheelsto assume a position tendingto lead the automobile in a straight course,and prevent what otherwise might. result in the overturning of thevehicle. .The double opposed springs 8 by teuding to maintain the wheelsalways in a straight course obviate a constant see-sa wing of thesteering wheel when the steering gear is more or less worm As the sprins 8 are necessarily quite stilt in order to perthrm their functionsproperly, it is quite im ortant that accidents due; to

their possible reakage be guarded against the springs, the broken springwould drop down and the Vehicle would meet with the very accident whichit. is the design of the invention to preyent.

.l-lzwing' thus described my invention, what l claim 21ml desire toseeuve by Letters Patenf'ris The emnbinntionwith an axle, the steeriugknuckles pivoted. thereto, the steering zu' ns, end [a TOLl for e'verntmg' the arms, of

' other arms rigid: with the KHUCklGS, a rod entendinpj between thesecond-named arms and being independent of the steering-rod, a stopdisposed centrally ot' the second named rod and supported from the axle,double 0pposed springs on the second rod acting on In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- HENRY P.LAROUETTE.

Utnesses: v I

GEORGE E. B. lynLLns, F. B. FILLMOR'E,

